The Wilmingtonian., 1887-03-12
The Telephone Act,

Enening DATED and presented TO the Lrgis-
atue concise bill for the regulation OF
Celephonnp in this city. The bill was vel,
generally endorsed and Mr. Humphreys was
uost generously complmented in his ,ffoIt'
to cheaper what is now really an iudIspeusi-
lie SERVICE. BuI the SESSION was near its clos,
md lhe Legislature adjourned without tax
4 final action upon this matter.
TIE identical bill has been r suirtct' dane
tiready passed to a second reading in th'
Lower IL use and unless occult influences
/, evail there may ne KIP, cted a ntaptniIl
i the telephone service.
The bill ref, ried to is here appended
s, clinn 1. That On and after the fist da!
Jure, 1885, iG shall not be lawful for an,
ve,snn, firm Or corporation engaged in leas-
rg telephunts or furnishing in any way tel
phone seiyce in ths State, 10 charge
r.ntal txc, edinl So per mouth Tor any sucl
telephone. telephone service or set of lnsru
nentS aud wnes as may 20 10 make up villa
il commonly described as a Telephone whlci
eutal shall qua, antre a CONTIGUOUS servlc,
Il telephone communicated To any rnle
,r user oi a telephone requiring or denand-
~ the ime whose Lace Ui business is l"ca-
ed wnhIn a Fad Us uf two miles from an!
central flee or exchange of the person, ii n,
,r Coz poratiou engaged ia the business o
uruishiug such telephones OF telephone sei-
CO.
Section 2. To any person, firm or corpoi-
tti1n dol busln, s, Within u radius f tw'
niles ttom such central office ur exchange as
Iuresalu, who may II qliie aud use two n'
more tel, phones furui-h d by the SAINT patty
| II pal ties, the rental shall not exceed $3.50
| Ier month for each instl ument or set Of III
| .truments as hrreinbeiure desciihed. .-.
| Section 3 On telephones tu private ret :
euces within Il radius of iwn miles fruh
uch central "iflts OF exchange, as aforesaid
ne rental shall not exceed 81 pei month i,l
| ntch instrument OF set uf ul Instruments
| riein foe descrihel.
| Section A. II shall not be lawful for ANY
uch telephone tirn OF cnpnrdt'Ou to dis
| 'rtmiuate against auy individual firm, cor
.uratlOn OF lue OF business in the rental ul
elephnnes, aud all telephones ordered shall
placed III position aud kept in good run
ing ulder at tbs elrle> practicable ilu
neut aud at the expense Of said telephou,
irn or corporations.
Section 8. Tie rentals Of all tecphoui,
Instruments, shall De p ID monthly aud il.
uiydnce, aud, upon Q idiIuIe OF any renL,i
> comply with the requirement. alter thnt,
| hy's uutlce to do 81. has been glveu, u sndll
20 lawful for the firm r corp IraJlou Inrnisii-
~ sucn telephone fAclte or service I,
ucu dolnq lent reuter- to disc ntluue Ii
anne aud remove such instrument or iustru.
n-uts.
Section 0 Any person, firm or corporation
,iolatlng any Of the provisions OF this ac
snail be gu lty OF u mi-d ,meauor, aud mp"
conviction thereuf stall furie t and " IT, tlu
SJue nt Detaw are not less than $50 nor .on
ntu Sl00 Tor each aid every VIOLATION theit.
#, aud IN further, in the event of a CON
JrGtiun for having charged more than thu
twIul amount OF rental. as herripbef re dc.
v1,ib d, be reqdtred TO i,ricit AMI pay to IT,,
.grieved renter nr ienters double tb,
mount of such ovtrchargs.
Sc ii III Z. rnls shall be u public act.
The Ecery Epentng IN lat Tuesday dis
,isses mu-t inttlhgrntly and comprehensive
the provisions oil thi, enactment in thes,
words:
THE telephone bill OF which Assemhlymar
Ware has given notice rs tno same measure
hat was brought forward IN The closing day
t the session of 1885 too late then to gel
,ery far. 1t comes th,s tune early euougl
=, receive due Consideration aud to at less
orm the nucleus around which a sa utaI.
, Ntate telephone law may grow. The bill u
IS present shape applies only to lines no
xleedng two miles in ength For sucl
lues it lunts the rental tu S. p,r IN nth fol
: business Establishments aud 50 per muntl
Z. . private residences. The title of the bill
AN act to promote the mme general us
f Telephones" =" explains the spirit in whic
g. is cnuceved-tn IN Ike Jhe telephone vei
much more widely useful by bringing i
I within til, reaUn of hundreds of our house
|
/, .ppIoximates the rental Of Il small house, i.
lnnestic use must be restricted to IT.
Wealthy few Il reduction to the more iea'
nabIe figure contemplated in this bi
vuuld s1rn double nf triple the number 1
l. tens. Iudtrd it wul,d MT be very strang
10 tel. phones should be taken at SO p,
mouth where oEe suilices at 81 or IS, As
: business h 'lSrs, put the rental at So pc
I nnuih aud il Will not no long before ever
II tore, shop auh office IN Wlmlngt N mu
mt one in. Perhaps it may MT really be
!, ne puwer uf the Local exchange to make II
ateS named in the Bill; ; tile eAacriuus in IL
Iell mInnpby may bs TOO oueruu,; if tn
!" ,e 80 The agitation Of rates vii at least We
z late the suhj.ct, will show how far mouo
liz tisilc creed eau so aud Will set us to ask
!, mrs selves whether the occupation Of d
,treets hy poles aud wires es not vest
lie people some rights of which thsy canu
= ,e summnrIly deprived. b., this AS il ma
N Ghese is Que section to which no honest 4
N. GtiOu eau be taken, aud that is the al,
:. discrimination section. There is no reas
or example, in cutting of the whole of t
;ty OF Wilmington from telephone comm
''o ucatipn with the Bdhimore&0 0uto teltgra
g. fiji :e, simply tn accommodate the Wesre
,as Union Company. The pablo has noth
Il, 10 do with the Iivalry between these co
Or. PAM s, but it has great deal tn dn with I
g. deprivation aud the unneces sary and inexG
~ sable bother attendant upon the Transact
A, Il, II. L.